Cryptic diversity in a fig wasp community – morphologically differentiated species are sympatric but cryptic species are allopatric

A key debate in ecology centres on the relative importance of niche and neutral processes in determining patterns of community assembly with particular focus on whether ecologically similar species with similar functional traits are able to coexist. Meanwhile, molecular studies are increasingly revealing morphologically indistinguishable cryptic species with presumably similar ecological roles. Determining the geographic distribution of such cryptic species provides opportunities to contrast predictions of niche versus neutral models. Discovery of sympatric cryptic species increases alpha diversity and supports neutral models, while documentation of allopatric/parapatric cryptic species increases beta diversity and supports niche models. We tested these predictions using morphological and molecular data, coupled with environmental niche modelling analyses, of a fig wasp community along its 2700 km latitudinal range. Molecular methods increased previous species diversity estimates from e...

生态学领域的一个核心争论聚焦于生态位（niche）和中性过程（neutral processes）在决定群落组装模式中的相对重要性，尤其关注具有相似功能性状的生态相似物种能否共存。与此同时，分子研究正日益揭示出形态上难以区分的隐存种（cryptic species），这些物种推测具有相似的生态角色。确定此类隐存种的地理分布，为对比生态位模型与中性模型的预测提供了契机。同域隐存种的发现会提高α多样性并支持中性模型，而异域/邻域隐存种的记录则会增加β多样性并支持生态位模型。我们利用形态学与分子数据，结合环境生态位建模（environmental niche modelling）分析，对一个榕小蜂群落沿其2700公里纬度范围的分布进行了上述预测的检验。分子方法提升了先前的物种多样性估计值，从e...